‘THE BIGGEST LOSER’ HITS A THREE-YEAR SLOT HIGH FOR ENTERTAINMENT PROGRAMMING

‘BIGGEST LOSER 6′ FINALE IS THE #1 SHOW OF THE NIGHT IN ADULTS 18-49; WINS ITS TWO-HOUR SLOT IN ADULTS, MEN AND WOMEN 18-49 AND ADULTS, MEN AND WOMEN 18-34; GAINS 44 PERCENT IN 18-49 AND 33 PERCENT IN TOTAL VIEWERS FROM ITS FIRST TO ITS FOURTH HALF-HOUR

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. – December 17, 2008 – The finale of “The Biggest Loser 6″ last night gave NBC its highest 18-49 rating with entertainment programming in its Tuesday time period in three years, winning its slot in adults 18-49 and other key measures, according to “fast affiliate-based” “live plus same day” viewing figures from Nielsen Media Research.

Last night from 8-10 p.m. ET, the finale of “The Biggest Loser 6″ (4.5 rating, 12 share in adults 18-49, 11.7 million viewers overall) delivered NBC’s highest 18-49 rating in this time period with entertainment programming since November 29, 2005 and the network’s biggest overall viewership in the slot with entertainment programming since August 21, 2007.

“The Biggest Loser” was the #1 program on the broadcast networks last night in primetime’s key demographic of adults 18-49. It ranked #1 from 8-10 p.m. in adults 18-49 and other key measures, including adults, men and women 18-34 and men and women 18-49, against competition that included first-run episodes of CBS’s “NCIS” and “The Mentalist” and ABC’s encore telecast of the holiday special “A Charlie Brown Christmas.”

The finale of “The Biggest Loser 6″ generated the series’ biggest overall viewership since the finale of “The Biggest Loser 3″ on December 13, 2006 and the show’s highest 18-49 rating since the finale of “The Biggest Loser 4″ on December 18, 2007. Versus the most recent “Biggest Loser 5″ finale on April 15, last night’s telecast increased by 2 percent in both 18-49 rating (4.5 vs. 4.4) and total viewers (11.7 million vs. 11.4 million), pending updates.

From its first half-hour to its fourth, “Biggest Loser” increased by 44 percent in 18-49 rating (to a 5.2/13 from a 3.6/10) and by 33 percent or 3.2 million persons in total viewers (to 13.0 million from 9.8 million).

Preliminary 18-49 averages for Tuesday night are: NBC and CBS, 3.8/10; Fox, 2.2/6; ABC, 2.0/5; CW, 0.4/1. In overall total viewers, December 16 preliminary results are: CBS, 17.9 million; NBC, 9.8 million; ABC, 6.0 million; Fox, 5.6 million; CW, 1.1 million. The 3.8 rating in adults 18-49 is NBC’s highest nightlong Tuesday average, excluding news and sports coverage, since April 15.

Note that all national ratings are “live plus same day” unless otherwise indicated.

Michelle Aguilar, a 27-year-old assistant director from Ft. Worth, Texas, became the second female “Biggest Loser” in the series’ six-year history when she won NBC’s “The Biggest Loser: Families” and $250,000 at the live season finale of the hit series. Michelle lost 110 lbs. and 45.45% of her body weight to claim the prize. She started the show at 242 lbs. and ended weighing just 132 lbs.

Michelle, who was on trainer Jillian Michaels’ black team, came on “The Biggest Loser: Families” with her mother, Renee Wilson, who started the show at 267 lbs. and weighed 161 lbs. at finale, losing 106 lbs. and 39.70% of her body weight. Michelle and Renee had been estranged for almost six years before coming on the show.

Michelle and Vicky Vilcan (Houma, LA), who was on trainer Bob Harper’s blue team, were two of the finalists, and America voted to determine who would be the third finalist. In the first part of the live finale, viewers learned that Ed Brantley, a 31-year-old chef from Raleigh, NC had beaten his wife, Heba Salama, to win a spot in the finals. Both Ed and Heba were on Bob Harper’s blue team.

The runner up among the three finalists was Ed, who started the show weighing 335 lbs. and weighed 196 lbs. at finale. He lost 139 lbs. and 41.49% of his body weight. Coming in third place was Vicky, who lost 101 lbs. and 41.06% of her body weight. She began the show at 246 lbs. and weighed only 145 lbs. at finale.

The winner of this season’s $100,000 “at home” prize among eliminated contestants went to Heba, a 30-year-old from Raleigh, NC who works in pharmaceutical sales. Heba lost 138 lbs. and 46.94% of her body weight. She started the show as the heaviest female contestant at 294 lbs. and weighed 156 lbs. at finale.

Source: NBC Press Release